INVC,
Delhi,
The Union Health Ministry has conceptualised dedicating a particular day of each year for highlighting the dangers of Hypertension, the silent killer which, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), accounts for 7 percent of disability adjusted life years worldwide, and 9.4 million deaths annually.
Speaking at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Hypertension Society of India (HSICON) here today, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister, said “I am preparing the Ministry to meet the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD). Hypertension, diabetes, cancers, coronary artery disease, etc. are projected by WHO as the biggest gnawers of our public health budget in the next decade.”
The roots of most NCD, including hypertension, lie in the modern, sedentary lifestyle, the Minister said. Therefore, more resources than before would be deployed for the objective of raising public awareness on preventive measures and early diagnosis. That is why he feels the need for declaring a certain day of each year as “National Hypertension Day”.
“I hope to marshal the synergies of organisations like organisations in the medical field into making National Hypertension Day a platform for intensive dialogue between government and patient, pharmaceutical company and patient, lifestyle gurus and patient, and so on. It will also highlight the dangers of consuming junk food, alcohol consumption and smoking, physical inactivity, as well as the importance of Yoga for both prevention and management of hypertension,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said.
